She wandered aimlessly down the debris strewn sidewalk. The hustle and bustle of the city around her was nothing but a faint whisper in her ears. The baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, with dirty blonde hair thrown in a messy ponytail gave her the appearance of someone who hadn’t looked in the mirror for weeks. The dark circles under her eyes revealed that she hadn’t slept in days. The clatter and shouts of the city streets slowly faded away as she entered Central Park. Sorrow filled her until she could think of nothing else. “So young, so kind” everyone murmured to her. These words would be etched in her memory forever. Wanting to know how she was, they all poked and prodded until she made up a lie and said she was fine. How did they expect her to take her sisters death? Was supposed to be happy? But none of their words seemed to matter, none of what they said made sense.
A sudden burst of laughter brought her out of her thoughts. How could they be laughing at a time like this? Did no one care that her sister was dead? Turning around, she spotted the source. Two young boys, brothers perhaps, were playing catch with their parents watching on. As she passed by the pond, sunlight dancing across the water, a sudden burst of happiness found her. The sweet smell of freshly cut grass mixing with the faint aroma of cotton candy washed over her. Just then, there was no sadness in the world. No death, no sorrow. For these few seconds, she was at peace.